Depressive Symptoms Tied to Diabetes Self-Management

Updated: Apr 4th 2018

WEDNESDAY, April 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Changes in depressive symptoms can predict improvement in self-efficacy and adherence to diabetes management, according to a study published online March 27 in Diabetes Care.

Hyunsung Oh, Ph.D., from Arizona State University in Phoenix, and Kathleen Ell, D.S.W., from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, assessed follow-up data from 251 patients participating in a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of a promotora-assisted self-management intervention. The participants included Hispanic patients with probable depression in patient-centered medical homes at safety-net clinics.

The researchers found that changes in depressive symptoms predicted self-efficacy and level of adherence at the six- and 12-month follow-ups. At six months, changes in total social support and emotional social support were correlated only with self-efficacy of diabetes management.

"Decline in depressive symptoms is a reliable predictor of improvement in self-efficacy and adherence to diabetes management," the authors write. "Further studies are recommended to study psychosocial mechanisms related to social relationships other than social support that affect diabetes management."

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